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Pete Seeger
31 quotes
“This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We'll walk hand in hand We'll walk hand in hand We'll walk hand in hand some day... The whole wide world around some day.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To everything (turn, turn, turn) There is a season (turn, turn, turn) And a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Turn! Turn! Turn!" (1954); a song which adapts a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes to music, with a few additional lyrics.
“A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rend, a time to sew A time of love, a time of hate A time of peace... I swear it's not too late.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Turn! Turn! Turn!" (1954)
“Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing? Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago? Where have all the flowers gone? Young girls have picked them every one. Oh, when will they ever learn?”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (1955)
“Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards, every one. Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (1955)
“I have been singing folksongs of America and other lands to people everywhere. I am proud that I never refused to sing to any group of people because I might disagree with some of the ideas of some of the people listening to me. I have sung for rich and poor, for Americans of every possible political and religious opinion and persuasion, of every race, color, and creed. The House committee wished to pillory me because it didn’t like some few of the many thousands of places I have sung for.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement to the court (1961) prior to his sentencing on contempt of Congress charges for his refusal to reveal names of communist or socialist acquaintances before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1955.
“A good song can only do good, and I am proud of the songs I have sung. I hope to be able to continue singing these songs for all who want to listen, Republicans, Democrats, and independents.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement to the court prior to his sentencing for contempt of Congress (1961); also quoted on NPR: Weekend Edition (2 July 2005)
“If I've got a talent, it's for picking the right song at the right time for the right audience. And I can always seem to get people to sing with me.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Minstrel with a Mission", Life magazine, 1964.
“Every time I read the paper those old feelings come on. We are waist deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool says to push on.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1967 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" (1967)
“One blue sky above us One ocean lapping all our shore One earth so green and round Who could ask for more And because I love you I'll give it one more try To show my rainbow race It's too soon to die.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1967 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: My Rainbow Race" (1967)
“... And this is the origin of pop music: it's a professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music as well.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pop Chronicles, Show 1 - Play A Simple Melody: Pete Seeger on the origins of pop music, interview recorded 2.14.1968.
“In the largest sense, every work of art is protest. … A lullaby is a propaganda song and any three-year-old knows it. … A hymn is a controversial song — sing one in the wrong church: you'll find out. …”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pop Chronicles, Show 33 - Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. Part 1, interview recorded 2.14.1968.
“All songwriters are links in a chain.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Paul Zollo in 1988
“I like to say I'm more conservative than Goldwater. He just wanted to turn the clock back to when there was no income tax. I want to turn the clock back to when people lived in small villages and took care of each other.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Old Left", New York Times Magazine, 22 January 1995, sect. 6 p. 13
“I still call myself a communist, because communism is no more what Russia made of it than Christianity is what the churches make of it. But if by some freak of history communism had caught up with this country, I would have been one of the first people thrown in jail.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Old Left", New York Times Magazine, 22 January 1995, sect. 6 p. 13
“I'd really rather put songs on people's lips than in their ears.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1994 interview, quoted in Filene Romancing the Folk: Public Memory & American Roots Music (2000), p. 197
“The world would never amount to a hill of beans if people didn't use their imaginations to think of the impossible.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book, 2001, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, , p. 220
“There's no hope, but I may be wrong.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: NPR: Weekend Edition (2 July 2005)
“The world will be saved by people fighting for their homes.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: NPR: Weekend Edition (2 July 2005)
“I feel most spiritual when I'm out in the woods. I feel part of nature. Or looking up at the stars. [I used to say] I was an atheist. Now I say, it's all according to your definition of God. According to my definition of God, I'm not an atheist. Because I think God is everything. Whenever I open my eyes I'm looking at God. Whenever I'm listening to something I'm listening to God.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pete Seeger's Session", a Beliefnet interview (2006)
“Technology will save us if it doesn't wipe us out first.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger" on Democracy Now (4 September 2006)
“The key to the future of the world, is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94" New York Times (28 January 2014)
“If it can't be … reused, repaired … then it should be … redesigned or removed from production.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Berkeley salutes folk singer Seeger (6 February 2014)
“Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you. Notice the pitches, the volume, the timbre, the many lines of counterpoint. As light taught Monet to paint, the earth may be teaching you music.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A productive mistake is: (1) made in the service of mission and vision; (2) acknowledged as a mistake; (3) learned from; (4) considered valuable; (5) shared for the benefit of all.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So, are you going to practice today?" asks my inner mom. "Well, sure. But I've got one more phone call to make. The dishes are dirty. I have to feed the cat." I don't hate practicing. I resist it. The goddess of procrastination can seduce me by lifting one eyebrow. After decades of practicing or avoiding the same, walking over to the piano remains the hardest part.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At the audition, your assignment is to find something new in the song. Something you've never noticed before. A breath carried over, a thought that ties the whole thing together. Then take the risk and do it.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If singing were all that serious, frowning would make you sound better.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I meet people who say, "Oh, there's no hope, Peter, look at the things that are going wrong, and those stupid people in Bosnia, there are going to be things like that all around the world, power-hungry people says I know how to handle this, just give me the bomb. There's no hope." But I say to them, I said, "Did you ever think that our great Watergate president would leave office the way he did?" "No, I guess I didn't think that." I said, "Did you think that the Berlin Wall would come down so peacefully?" "No, I didn't think that would happen, yeah." I said, "Did you think Mandela would be president of South Africa?" "No, I didn't predict that." "Well, if you couldn't predict those three things, then don't be so confident that there's no hope." And I give them a bumper sticker. It says, "There's No Hope, But I May Be Wrong.”
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: An Afternoon with Pete Seeger", Living on Earth, April 17, 1998